Israel

Mass protests have erupted in Israel in recent months over controversial judicial reforms pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

This is not a political moment, this is a moment for leadership and responsibility." It is proof that this government has lost its brakes," he said, calling on Netanyahu to walk back his firing of his defense minister. "We must all strive to stabilise the government and coalition." The planned overhaul would significantly weaken the country's judiciary and make it harder to remove Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, from power. McDonald's Israel says it has closed branches as part of the strike action. "Stop this judicial process before it is too late," Arnon Bar-David, Israel's Histadrut union leader, said in a televised speech, addressing Netanyahu directly.

At its core, the judicial overhaul would give the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and therefore the parties in power, more control over Israel's judiciary.

But his decision to fire Gallant on Sunday, a day after the defense minister called for a pause in the government’s drive to overhaul the country’s judicial system, sparked turmoil. Instead of having the vast majority of the appointed seats on the committee, the government-appointed members would have a one-seat majority. Would the Supreme Court strike down the laws, and if so, how would the government respond? Complicating matters further, should the bills pass parliament the Supreme Court must then potentially decide on laws curbing its own power. According to polling released in February by the Israel Democracy Institute, only a minority of Israelis support the reforms. As part of a deal with the court to serve as a prime minister despite being on trial, Netanyahu accepted a conflict of interest declaration. Protest organizers say they plan to intensify their demonstrations until the legislation is halted. Members of the typically apolitical high-tech sector have also spoken out against the reforms. Israel’s Supreme Court has no influence on what happens in Gaza, which is ruled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Several former Mossad chiefs have also spoken out against the reforms, warning division over the issue is harming Israeli security. The Attorney General determined that the declaration meant Netanyahu could not be involved in the policy-making of the judicial overhaul. They argue the Supreme Court has overstepped its role, getting into issues it should not rule on.

Protesters have called for the reforms to be scrapped and for the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to resign. His political rivals have spearheaded the ...

The government argues that voters elected it on a promise of reforming the judiciary and attempts to stop it are undemocratic. One reform has already been passed into law - removing the power of the attorney general to pronounce a sitting prime minister as unfit for office. Since the start of the year, huge weekly protests have been held by people opposed to the government's reform plans.

Mass protests broke out in Israel on Sunday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired defense minister Yoav Gallant over his opposition to a ...

Israel’s Supreme Court has no influence on what happens in Gaza, which is ruled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. At the same time, Palestinian activists have argued that the high court has further entrenched Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, having never considered the legality of Israeli settlements there, even though they’re considered illegal by most of the international community. Last year, for example, the court halted the evictions of Palestinian families in the flashpoint neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, where Jewish groups have claimed ownership of land the families have lived on for decades.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition was debating whether to delay judicial changes that have set off civil unrest. Work stoppages spread, with a ...

The court also supported the eviction of all Israeli settlers from Gaza in 2005 — a pivotal moment that cemented the settler leadership’s desire for a judicial overhaul. Mr. Netanyahu said he was stepping into the fray to find a solution that would both ensure majority rule and safeguard individual rights, “and in order to prevent a rift in the nation.” Netanyahu from involvement in the plans for the court overhaul, citing a court-imposed agreement to avoid conflicts of interest that he had signed because of his trial. Deri had been appointed to the powerful positions of interior minister and health minister in the new government before Mr. As the leader of Shas, an ultra-Orthodox Sephardic party and the second-largest party in the coalition after Mr. “We are not ready for any compromise that will harm the independence of the Supreme Court and the primacy of the law,” it added. At the rally, there was talk of both the need to fight the judicial overhaul as well as ending the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem were also on strike. Netanyahu in a difficult position as he seeks to hang on to the allies that helped bring him back to power. [standing trial on charges of corruption](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/world/middleeast/netanyahu-corruption-charges-israel.html), and opponents feared that his plans might make it easier for him to push through legislation in the future that could allow him to avoid any punishment. Netanyahu the breathing room to step back and try to de-escalate the protests that have ground Israel to a halt.

Protesters clash with the police during a rally against the Israeli government's judicial reform in Tel Aviv, Israel on March 27. Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty ...

“The eyes of all the people of Israel are on you. Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who has strongly advocated for the reform to be pushed through, opened the door to the possibility of a delay on Monday. The eyes of all the Jewish people are on you. Opponents say the plans threaten the foundations of Israeli democracy. The eyes of the whole world are on you. Some military reservists have pledged to pull out of their service in opposition to the plans, which critics say would undermine the independence of the judiciary. We have been taken hostage by a bunch of extremists with no brakes and no boundaries,” he said. All takeoffs from Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion Tel Aviv, were halted for several hours because of the strike. Gallant argued for a halt to the judicial reforms in a speech Saturday night, when Netanyahu was out of the country on an official visit to the United Kingdom. For the sake of the unity of Israelis, for the sake of committed responsibility I call on you to halt the legislative procedure immediately.” We are brotherly people,” he said on Twitter. In a statement issued later, Lapid called the past 24 hours “madness,” “loss of control” and “loss of direction.”

Strikes and protests are taking place in Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired defense minister Yoav Gallant over his opposition to a ...

Universities to strike Monday: Universities in Israel will go on strike starting Monday, they announced, and the country’s largest labor union and business leaders said they would hold a news conference on Monday morning. Under the proposals, the government would have control over the appointment of judges, and parliament would gain the power to override Supreme Court decisions. The eyes of all the people of Israel are on you. They include Diaspora Affairs and Social Equality Minister Amichai Chikli, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar and Economy Minister Nir Barkat, who warned the overhaul plan has brought the country to the brink of civil war. The eyes of all the Jewish people are on you. I call on all the demonstrators and all Israeli citizens — do everything without violence, without bloodshed. Other ministers speak out: Following Gallant's comments, three other Israeli government ministers — all members of Netanyahu’s Likud party — suggested that the prime minister should stop the judicial overhaul legislation. “We need to stop the demonstrations and protests — and reach out for dialogue. The cabinet has also pushed forward a plan to weaken the judiciary that has brought hundreds of thousands of Israeli protesters to the streets as well as criticism from Israel’s closest allies. is that the interests of American Jews and Israel have been diverging for many years, but it’s been papered over,” Thomas Friedman wrote in the New York Times this month. In its latest move, the US State Department last week summoned Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog after Israel’s parliament passed legislation that allows Jewish settlements to be rebuilt in parts of the occupied West Bank. It was a rare public rebuke of a sitting Israeli minister that brought together individuals from across the Jewish-American political spectrum.

Protesters streamed on to Israel's streets overnight, as thousands voiced their opposition to a controversial justice reform bill.

when the house is on fire, you don’t ask who is right,” according to a translation. Protests have simmered in Israel for months, since the planned changes were rolled out in December. He called for an "historic" strike to begin on Monday. Arrivals will continue to land at the airport, although as many as 35,000 people were expected to have their travel disrupted. On Saturday, he called for a pause in the controversial legislation until after next month's Independence Day holiday, citing the threat to Israel's national security. Military and business leaders have also spoken out against the plan.

Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan. The growing resistance to Netanyahu's plan came hours after tens of ...

Netanyahu’s dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant appeared to signal that the prime minister and his allies would barrel ahead. Some members of Netanyahu’s Likud party said they would support the prime minister if he did heed calls to halt the overhaul. Netanyahu returned to power late last year after a protracted political crisis that sent Israelis to the polls five times in less than four years. The architect of the plan, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a popular party member, was long a holdout, promising he would resign if the overhaul was suspended. Israeli media reported that a lawyer representing the prime minister in his corruption trial threatened to quit if the overhaul was not halted. A parliamentary committee approved the legislation on Monday for a final vote, which could come this week. The developments were being watched in Washington, which is closely allied with Israel yet has been uneasy with Netanyahu and the far-right elements of his government. “I’m here for the fight to the end.” Chanting “the country is on fire,” they lit bonfires on Tel Aviv’s main highway, closing the thoroughfare and many others throughout the country for hours. “The entire nation is rapt with deep worry. The turmoil has magnified longstanding and intractable differences over Israel’s character that have riven it since its establishment. Departing flights from the country’s main international airport were grounded, large mall chains and universities shut their doors, and Israel’s largest trade union called for its 800,000 members — in health, transit, banking and other fields — to stop work.

Palestinians see an "explosive potential" with Israel's new hardline government in power — while Jews from Israel and the U.S. grapple with "a dramatic ...

"The escalation in violence makes it more urgent for the Netanyahu government to make compromises in some of the proposed legislation to maintain the support of allied democracies and the diaspora Jewish communities," Foxman said. Our duty is to remember that many Western democracies are facing major challenges in the last few years, and today," Khariv said. ... I want this government to know that if it tampers with democracy, if it tampers with the basic relationship between Israel and the Jewish people, it will have consequences. "Palestinians are coping with a system that is built on the premise of Jewish domination, hegemony and superiority," Marjeih said. They have to work together to find a path forward that both defuses the current cycle of violence and, I hope, also leads to positive steps to build back some confidence." After the rampage in Hawara, Smotrich called for the Israeli government to "wipe out" the Palestinian village. [visit the highly sensitive site in Jerusalem](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-warns-israel-unacceptable-actions-itamar-ben-gvir-visit-al-aqsa-temple-mount/) that Jews call the Temple Mount and Muslims call Haram al-Sharif, the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. State Department](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-warns-israel-unacceptable-actions-itamar-ben-gvir-visit-al-aqsa-temple-mount/) against "any unilateral actions that undercut the historic status quo." "We will continue to serve the Jewish and democratic State of Israel at all times and across borders... Seven Israelis were killed, meanwhile, in an attack outside a synagogue in east Jerusalem that was the deadliest attack of its kind in years. Despite meetings between Israeli and Palestinian officials in Jordan to try to maintain the increasingly fragile peace, violence and anger may be on the brink of boiling over. [went on strike Monday](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-news-protest-general-strike-netanyahu-judicial-reform/) after a weekend of massive protests over plans by Israel's far-right government to overhaul the country's judiciary branch.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed judicial overhaul has unleashed the most intense social unrest in Israel in decades.

A pause would help ease the tensions and buy Netanyahu some time to find a compromise. Levin, the justice minister who has led the efforts to rush the plan through parliament, said he would respect Netanyahu’s wishes if he called for a delay. Doctors and day care workers said they would stay off the job, and others were expected to join as well. In security-obsessed Israel, Gallant, a gruff retired general, is among the most respected members of the new Cabinet. They also say Netanyahu has a deep conflict of interest in trying to reshape the legal system while on trial. Israeli media, citing unnamed officials inside Netanyahu’s Likud party, said he was expected to delay his plan. With morale down and soldiers threatening not to report for duty, Gallant said that pushing ahead could hurt Israel’s military readiness. The decision was felt almost immediately. But the eruption of anger over Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s dismissal, organized quickly largely via the WhatsApp messaging app, was startling. After he was indicted, Netanyahu’s former governing partners turned on him, and he was unable to form a stable, lasting coalition. The union joins business leaders, bank chiefs, fighter pilots, military reservists, academics, former security commanders and other influential sectors of society in coming out against the plan. Israel’s largest trade union declared a general strike – paralyzing the country’s international airport – and thousands of people gathered outside parliament for another day of protests.

The overhaul has in the past 3 months led to an unprecedented political and social crisis in Israel, and destabalized its economy.

He also said he would work to stabilize the coalition in order to prevent the government from collapsing. - Senior members inside the Likud are pressing Netanyahu to cancel his decision to fire Gallant. [Itamar Ben-Gvir](https://www.axios.com/2023/01/03/ben-gvir-jerusalem-temple-mount-aqsa-compound-visit), who had threatened to resign if the plan was suspended. The other side: Opposition leader Yair Lapid said he is ready to start a dialogue under the auspices of President Isaac Herzog. - “Dialogue is the right path. “We will bring a reform that will restore the balance between the different branches of government while strengthening civil liberties," Netanyahu said.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A powerful partner in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government says the country's proposed judicial overhaul has been delayed ...

“When there’s an opportunity to avoid civil war through dialogue, I, as prime minister, am taking a timeout for dialogue,” Netanyahu said in a nationally televised address. In a statement, Ben-Gvir said the interim period would give time for a compromise agreement to be reached with the political opposition. [judicial overhaul plan](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/tens-of-thousands-in-israel-protest-in-effort-to-stop-netanyahus-planned-overhaul-of-nations-judiciary), saying he wanted to give time to seek a compromise over the contentious package with his political opponents.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday agreed to suspend a planned judiciary reform until the next parliament session after nationwide protests ...

"In Netanyahu's new Israel, the slimmest of majorities could decide anything," Sachs wrote. The prime minister himself is currently under investigation on numerous counts of corruption and other charges, meaning he would likely benefit from a weaker judiciary. In short, the proposed judiciary overhaul would severely limit the Israeli Supreme Court's ability to review and strike down laws that it deems unconstitutional. Israel's Leumi Bank also closed branches as part of the demonstrations, while Israeli embassies worldwide have been instructed to join the industrial action, according to a letter seen by Reuters. "I am taking the time out for dialogue," Netanyahu said Monday evening at a press conference, according to a Sky News translation. This will follow the Passover recess in April.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday his controversial plans to weaken the judiciary will be delayed after widespread strikes and protests ...

The cabinet vote would then need to be ratified by a super majority in the parliament. Netanyahu was also condemned by his opponents and a host of former Israeli prime ministers. the vote, in order to give time for discussion,” he added. “We’ve never been closer to falling apart. But months of sustained protests over the plans drew global attention and rocked the country. Netanyahu added that he is “aware of the tensions” and is “listening to the people.”

Mass protests are taking place in Israel over the firing of defense minister Yoav Gallant, after he spoke out against plans to weaken the country's judicial ...

ESTRIN: Well, if he does announce that he's freezing the core part of the legislation, which would be allowing the government to have some control over appointing Supreme Court justices - if he does freeze that legislation, he could try to hold a dialogue with the opposition and reach a compromise. If he does come out - and he is right now huddling with his government, trying to understand whether his government could fall if he announces he's canceling this legislation. But whether or not he manages to survive this and actually stay in power with such massive protests - it's really hard to see that, A. There was a spontaneous protest, erupted in the middle of the road, thousands of protesters, because Netanyahu fired his defense minister. It was supposed to go to a final vote today. Protesters have gathered outside the Parliament, where Netanyahu's coalition is preparing for a final vote on the legislation, even as Israeli media report Netanyahu may be considering a freeze.

His proposed changes provoked an outpouring of anger from nearly all parts of Israeli society.

He had previously called for an immediate halt to the plans. In the heart of Jerusalem, around the Knesset, supporters and critics held counter-protests. The prime minister denies any wrongdoing and claims he is the victim of a "witch hunt". He accused an "extremist minority" of trying to divide the nation, and criticised military reservists who had opposed the bill by saying they wouldn't report for duty. His own part in the country's upheaval was not acknowledged. From the main airport to shops and banks - even in hospitals - services were stopped.

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: In Israel, the demonstrations, people's power taking to the streets, particularly in Tel Aviv, are unprecedented.

Very little in terms of the Palestinian issue that we've seen over the course of the past weeks, but a lot in terms of women's rights that also have taken a significant hit over the course of this new government and lots of other social issues that are significant to large numbers, particularly of young people in Israel today. Of course, the other side of the coin is that if he pulls back, is he going to maintain support? All of this has led to huge moves against the Israeli shekel, against Israeli ETFs, against the Israeli investments in the markets that we've really not seen. If Netanyahu persists and decides that he's going to go ahead with this reform, it would not only be a significant erosion for Israeli democracy, but it would also be an enormous hit for the Israeli economy. That means you're not getting a Big Mac today in Israel because all of the McDonald's are closed. This is a population of less than 10 million in Israel, and hundreds of thousands are saying that they strongly oppose the efforts by Bibi Netanyahu and his coalition government to rest control of the judiciary, allowing the parliament to overturn judicial decisions from the Supreme Court and also allowing more control of executive appointments to Supreme Court justices.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed judicial overhaul unleashed the most intense social unrest in Israel in decades before he announced that he ...

A lower rating could make investors hesitant to do business in Israel and potentially lead companies with operations in Israel, including the world's leading tech giants, to scale back their presence. The pause Netanyahu declared could help ease the tensions and buy him some time to find a compromise. In security-obsessed Israel, Gallant, a gruff retired general, is among the most respected members of the new Cabinet. They also say Netanyahu has a deep conflict of interest in trying to reshape the legal system while on trial. After taking power, key figures in Netanyahu’s Likud Party along with his governing partners pledged to quickly overhaul the country’s judicial system, which critics say is driven by a desire to push their ideological agendas with less judicial oversight. The head of the country’s largest trade union responded by saying it would call off a general strike that threatened to grind the country's economy to a halt.

The right-wing government's push to get more control of the judiciary system thrust Israel into a crisis. The pushback led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ...

That would set up a potential constitutional crisis, with two branches of government refusing to agree on what the law is. They say that their way of life is in danger and that women's rights could suddenly be limited under the new government plan. Instead, the country operates according to a set of basic laws. The immediate crisis is somewhat abated by the prime minister's decision to call off Monday's vote, but it's unclear if Netanyahu can hold together his coalition. The government also wants to give itself a more direct hand in selecting the country's judges — a process that involves a judicial selection committee. Yes, and it's possible that the Supreme Court could eventually rule on them. The prime minister is on trial for three criminal cases alleging corruption. The turmoil eventually prompted Netanyahu to freeze the legislation. Currently, politicians have a minority vote on the selection committee. Netanyahu postponed the final vote of the legislation that had been slated for Monday. The push for more control widely is seen as a preemptive step toward enacting a controversial legislative agenda. Then came word that Netanyahu would put the plan on hold.

For weeks now, one question has loomed large in the battle between the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and protesters trying to block his ...

The Shin Bet’s Unit 730 is in charge of the prime minister’s security. [public](https://www.timesofisrael.com/public-losing-faith-in-idf-but-trusts-it-more-than-any-other-institution-poll/) [opinion](https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/society/119546-160711-israelis-trust-the-military-but-not-the-government-study) [surveys](https://jewishstudies.washington.edu/israel-hebrew/civil-military-relations-in-israel-politics-state-society/), the Israeli military is the most trusted national institution in the country. In the first few weeks of the government, as the protests were gathering pace, the question of who the security forces would obey—the government or the Supreme Court—was only whispered. “The heads of Mossad and Shin Bet very rarely appear in public, so they can remain silent. It prompted a new round of protests and a nationwide strike and forced Netanyahu to delay the legislation. Three of the four said they would have obeyed the courts. But the protests have expanded to include top economists, the normally non-political but highly influential high-tech sector, and thousands of officers in the reserve forces, who signed He still commands a majority in parliament that includes factions that—each for their own reasons—want to see the Supreme Court sidelined. To appease one faction in his coalition that had pushed for a quick vote in parliament, Netanyahu also agreed to consider forming a new security force under the direct authority of Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister. More worrying for the security establishment, thousands of reservists announced they would not report for duty, including fighter pilots and intelligence officers in Israel’s vital cyber units. The proposed laws could dramatically alter the country’s power structure and are made possible because of a historic lacuna: Israel has no written constitution regulating the balance of power between the judiciary, the parliament, and the executive branch. [insubordination](https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-top-brass-said-to-warn-reservist-no-shows-could-impact-readiness-within-a-month/) among military reservists, and handwringing about the future of Israel’s democracy.

Israeli labor unions launched a nationwide strike and airlines were grounded as opposition to Netanyahu's plan threatened to upend the economy.

The scale of the dissent in Israel has been rare. [Itamar Ben Gvir wrote on Twitter](https://twitter.com/ItamarBenGvirEN) after it became apparent that Netanyahu was considering a temporary halt to the proposed legislation. On Monday, Isaac Herzog, Israel's president, who plays a largely ceremonial role in government, also urged Netanyahu to quickly halt the overhaul. "That is continuing to be the case. "Democratic societies are strengthened by checks and balances and fundamental changes to a democratic system should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support." "The entire nation is rapt with deep worry. "Democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement Sunday. Gallant had been the first senior member of Netanyahu's political party to speak out against the plan. But opponents say the move is at least partly aimed at helping Netanyahu with his legal troubles and is a threat to Israel’s democratic ideals. Military reservists have refused to sign up for duty because of the plan. He struck a conciliatory tone but said he was determined to proceed with the judicial system changes. Lawmakers will be back for their next parliamentary session at the end of April.

With Protests Against Israel's Judicial Overhaul Making Global Headlines, Several World Leaders Have Started to Publicly Criticize the Government's Moves.

Monday’s main headline on CNN was a report about “masses of demonstrators in Israel as trade unions join a historic strike,” accompanied by photos of the fires set during the blockage of the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv. He said that one of the characteristics of Israel’s judicial system is the fact that “judges can veto the appointment of judges. The crisis in Israel is making headlines in global media. One source in the European Union said on Monday: “We are obviously following very closely the events in Israel. We are concerned about the deepening rifts in Israeli society, and call for calm.” We are very worried about the manner in which it will play out,” a foreign diplomat who wished to remain anonymous told Haaretz.

Many members of metro Detroit's Jewish community have been watching people in Israel take the streets to protest a planned overhaul of the country's ...

[Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC ](https://jcrcajc.org/)Executive Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin is watching closely the ongoing demonstrations in Israel against plans to overhaul the judiciary. It shows citizenry that is not going to let any government or anything take away democracy in Israel,” said Lopatin. [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu](https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2023/03/27/israeli-president-urges-netanyahu-to-halt-legal-overhaul/) is now hoping to reach a consensus on how to reform the judiciary after massive demonstrations, and that’s what many in Metro Detroit’s Jewish community have been calling for. [ Netanyahu delays judicial overhaul after mass protests](https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2023/03/27/israeli-president-urges-netanyahu-to-halt-legal-overhaul/) [Massive protests, strike erupt in Israel over court reforms](https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/politics/2023/03/27/massive-protests-strike-erupt-in-israel-over-court-reforms/) His two adult children are living in the country.

NPR's Adrian Florido talks with Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro about demonstrations in Israel around Netanyahu's controversial plan to reform ...

He still has pressure from members of his coalition who badly want to see this rebalance occur and to have the court significantly weakened, and they are parties that he depends on to stay in power and to maintain his coalition. But at the same time, those who were protesting had a very legitimate concern that those other parts of society, the more right wing, the more religious parts of society might find that they had a greater say over the lives of the more progressive and more secular parts of society. So it may be that the same crisis that Israel has just been through returns over the summer. He still, of course, has all of the protesters that have expressed their opposition, and in polls, that's more than 50% of Israelis. He also made clear that any changes that would harm the traditional values of separation of powers, of rule of law, would be very, very concerning. And the overall concern that that raised with many Israelis who were protesting in these last weeks was that it would produce a concentration of power with virtually no check or balance in one branch of government, rendering the supreme court quite toothless. SHAPIRO: Well, what he said in his speech tonight defers the crisis. He did say that following the holidays, when the Knesset returns to session in May... Now, President Biden is a great believer in Israel, in this democracy, and supporter of its security and right to defend itself. Amid the backlash, Netanyahu said earlier today he will delay his proposal, which many people in Israel believe is a threat to the country's democracy. So the announcement that that legislation is now being postponed at least gives time to breathe. Those are periods when usually the country tries to be, A, relaxed and, B, somewhat unified.

Bending to a wave of mass protests, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed his contentious judicial overhaul plan and said he wanted "to avoid ...

“This is just an attempt to weaken the protests in order to enact Netanyahu’s dictatorship,” she said. “I’m here for the fight to the end.” But it was far from clear whether the disputes could be resolved. The main doctors union announced that its members would also strike. Departing flights from the main international airport were grounded, stranding tens of thousands of travelers. He vowed to reach a “broad consensus” during the summer session of parliament, which begins on April 30. It would also give parliament, which is controlled by his allies, authority to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit the court’s ability to review laws. They also say that he has a conflict of interest as a criminal defendant. [spoke with Netanyahu by phone](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/19/readout-of-president-joe-bidens-call-with-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-of-israel/) and urged “compromise on proposed judicial reforms consistent with” core values like democracy and checks and balances, according to the White House. The announcement appeared to calm some of the tensions that have fueled three tumultuous months of unrest. In his prime-time address, Netanyahu, who had previously rejected calls to delay the legislation, took a more conciliatory tone than in recent speeches. The proposal has plunged Israel into its worst domestic crisis in decades.

Thank goodness that Israel's civil society has forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pause, for now, his attempt to impose his control over Israel's ...

Then in 2021, as The Times of Israel [reported](https://www.timesofisrael.com/aryeh-deri-admits-to-tax-offenses-as-part-of-plea-deal-will-resign-from-knesset/), Deri accepted a plea deal in which he admitted “to a pair of tax offenses in exchange for resigning from the Knesset” and paying a fine. In January, the Supreme Court ruled that Deri was not fit to serve in government. … This is a very high-level organization.” The story continued: “Another member of the premier’s entourage confirmed that the senior official was referring to the United States.” [put it](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-03-27/ty-article/.premium/in-firing-gallant-netanyahu-proved-he-puts-his-own-fate-over-israels-national-security/00000187-1f8c-d4ca-afff-1f8cb9480000): “It’s hard to think of one senior defense official who wasn’t shocked to the core by Netanyahu’s decision. How would you describe an Israeli prime minister and his son who, after 50 years of the United States sending Israel billions and billions of dollars in economic and military assistance, have been disseminating the lie that the U.S. This is not the only sign of what an irrational actor Netanyahu has become. weapons to engage in any kind of war of choice with Iran or Hezbollah without the full and independent endorsement of Israel’s military high command, which has opposed his judicial putsch. Why do I insist that Netanyahu has become an irrational actor and a danger to our interests and values? But one thing is clear already: Netanyahu has become the definition of an irrational actor in international relations — someone whose behavior we can no longer predict and whose words President Biden should not trust. With the judiciary brought to heel, Israel would be governed more like elected autocracies, such as Hungary and Turkey, than the Israel the world has always known. With no real guardrails, it would take the United States and world Jewry across redlines they never imagined crossing, while possibly destabilizing Jordan and the Abraham Accords, eliminating hope of a two-state solution and bringing Israel in its 75th anniversary year to the edge of civil war. Thank goodness that Israel’s civil society has forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pause, for now, his attempt to impose his control over Israel’s independent judiciary and gain a free hand to rule as he wishes.

After weeks of protests, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday evening that he would delay, but not cancel, proposed changes to the ...

It feels like it's been hijacked by a group of extremists trying to derail this country. That decision to oust him couldn't have come at a more sensitive time, when hundreds of reservists have withdrawn from military duty in protest of the overhaul. We won't let our judicial system be trampled on. Nurit Ben: After weeks of protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his fragile far right coalition, this evening, Netanyahu said he would delay, but not cancel proposed changes to take power from the judiciary. His supporters say the legislation would rein in an out-of-control bench, while opponents call it an attack on Israeli democracy.

Israel's prime minister delayed his judicial overhaul plan after tens of thousands of people demonstrated outside the parliament building in Jerusalem.

By many accounts, the political turmoil in Israel over Prime Minister Netanyahu's proposed judicial overhaul is an existential moment for the nation.

And the president is a great believer in Israel, its legitimacy, its security, the U.S.' relationship. And by the end of that session, in July, he intends to pass a version of it. And the reason was that it's posing a risk to Israel's security. Israelis care very deeply about the fact that Israel has not known a day of its 75-year history that it was not a democracy, never missed an election. I think they were more direct and more specific and private, including in the president's recent phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu. And so they don't want to give up that energy. And it's so spooked members of his own party that they came to him overnight and said: Mr. And, clearly, most polls in Israel showed that more than 50 percent of the country was not comfortable, felt that this was an overreach that would so weaken the Supreme Court that there would be no check and balance on the government's power and decisions it might make or laws it might pass. And what is the state of the now 75-year-old democracy? Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have come into the streets to protest against it. Netanyahu's plan to overhaul the judiciary set off one of the deepest domestic crises in Israel's history. Ambassador to Israel: It does not end the crisis.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu's statement Monday hasn't appeased those opposing his perceived desire to control the judiciary.

“I think the protests will continue, maybe not at the same amount, but more on a weekly basis.” “In Israeli society, serving in the army is your application to belonging and more. It’s like the protest became more comfortable with the fact of the flag’s presence.” “At first, in the anti-Occupation bloc, there were a lot of attacks on people who held Palestinian flags. Many are viewing his motivation as fundamentally “to escape his legal conundrum and three indictments.” “It is forbidden that there will be a civil war”.

Israel's political factions opposed to embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are setting up negotiating teams after he called for dialogue and paused ...

“This morning I’m optimistic and I applaud the move.” In his address, the premier said he wanted “to avoid civil war” and would seek a compromise with political opponents. “I had a nice night of sleep last night, thank God,” Nides, the U.S. It would also give parliament, which is controlled by his allies, authority to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit the court’s ability to review laws. He vowed to reach a “broad consensus” during the summer session of parliament, which begins on April 30. But compromise seemed elusive and Netanyahu's legacy was on the line, in a standoff over the fundamental issue of what kind of country Israel should be — and positions only appear to have hardened.

The Israeli defence chief whose dismissal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brought the country's political crisis to a climax is remaining in office ...

Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges he denies, said the reforms balance out branches of government. There was no immediate word from President Isaac Herzog, the host of the negotiations, on when they might begin. In parliament, the coalition on Tuesday tabled for final readings a key bill that would give Netanyahu greater control of the system for selecting judges. Asked how soon the coalition could call a ratification vote, he said: "In theory, the day after." "A gun is being held to our heads," tweeted former finance minister Avigdor Liberman. A day later, Netanyahu said he was firing Gallant.

Demonstrations forced Israel's prime minister to delay a judicial overhaul.

[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). You can reach the team at “If I didn’t have this, I wouldn’t be doing art today,” said Ian Fay, a comic book artist in Kilkenny. On Friday, South Carolina will play Iowa, led by Caitlin Clark, and Louisiana State will face Virginia Tech, which has reached the semifinals for the first time. Officials said the attacker, 28, was a former student there. But it could also lead to more political chaos: Netanyahu’s coalition holds a slim majority in Parliament, and it could collapse if his right-wing allies believe he is going back on his word. Soldiers and reservists argue that if the courts are too weak to provide a check on the military, officials may be more likely to give illegal orders and potentially expose soldiers to prosecution in international courts. That opposition has gained momentum because it unites influential parts of Israeli society: universities, unions and the reservists who play a key role in the military. They believe the courts have become increasingly aggressive and have undermined voters’ choices over the past three decades. But with the overhaul, Israel’s Parliament could override the court’s decisions with a simple majority, giving the government sweeping power to enact its preferred policies. But it remains unclear what will happen in the coming weeks — and whether Netanyahu will continue pushing a proposal that has started to fracture even his own cabinet. Much of life in Israel came to a halt yesterday: Hospitals stopped providing nonemergency care, planes were grounded at the country’s main airport, and malls and banks closed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he would postpone the votes on his planned judicial overhaul, but analysts say that may not be ...

Some of the military members Netanyahu is referring to are also serving in very critical units, said Rahat. “Refusing is the end of our country.” “This is the only scenario where we will see a complete stop of all the demonstrations.” The prime minister had earlier fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over his opposition to the planned overhaul. “The infrastructure is there, and if there will be a need, there will be a comeback (to the streets),” he said. “The protests will continue unless Netanyahu will note publicly that he was mistaken when leading that reform, and (that) he is holding all future motivations to renew the judicial reform,” Hayman told CNN.

As the Israeli parliament or Knesset was due to vote on the changes to the courts, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke out against Netanyahu. Hundreds of ...

It’s not yet clear what Biden’s [reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/world/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-judicial-overhaul.html) White House invitation to Netanyahu means, and what the president is willing to say behind closed doors that he won’t convey to Israel publicly. [calling for a Palestinian town to be erased](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/middleeast/israel-smotrich-palestinians-intl/index.html). [Gallup poll](https://news.gallup.com/poll/472070/democrats-sympathies-middle-east-shift-palestinians.aspx) shows that, for the first time, Democrats sympathize more with Palestinians than Israelis. Palestinian members of the Knesset called it a law of [apartheid](https://www.vox.com/world/2018/7/31/17623978/israel-jewish-nation-state-law-bill-explained-apartheid-netanyahu-democracy), “a law of Jewish supremacy and told us that we will always be second-class citizens,” as lawmaker Ayman Odeh put it at the time. Then, last week, he [rejected](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/middleeast/israel-smotrich-palestinians-intl/index.html) that there even is a Palestinian people. “In a way that we’ve never seen before, there is a deep and growing concern among American Jews as it relates to Israel’s future,” Soifer told me. “His presence in the US to address primarily Jewish audiences would be an affront to American Jewish values,” they wrote. The protests will not lead to democracy for all people in Israel and Palestine. But that does not appear to be a universal position among the movement. Palestinian citizens of Israel have faced [systematic discrimination](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/7/19/five-ways-israeli-law-discriminates-against-palestinians) from the state, and new laws in recent years — and in recent months — have made it worse for them. [open letter](https://nadler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=394963) raising their fears about the overhaul. “I do not refer to Israel as a democracy even before the judicial overhaul …

His trip comes in the wake of ongoing turmoil in Israel over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans for a judicial overhaul.

His statement that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a “territorial dispute” [drew scorn from other Republicans](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/florida-playbook/2023/03/15/desantis-rapped-by-gop-and-dems-over-ukraine-00087125), including Florida GOP Sen. DeSantis has been a vocal defender of Israel during his time in office and supported the decision by the Trump administration to move the U.S. His trip, however, comes in the wake of ongoing turmoil in Israel over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans for a judicial overhaul. Netanyahu announced a delay in those plans on Monday following a wave of protests and worker strikes. [positions on foreign policy have begun to draw more attention](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/23/ron-desantis-republican-foreign-policy-00088583) as his likely campaign for president become more likely. He led a trade delegation to Israel in 2019, where he also held a ceremonial

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is planning to visit Israel next month to discuss relations between the United States and Israel, The Jerusalem Post and the ...

[fired](https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-international/netanyahu-fires-defense-minister-for-urging-halt-to-overhaul/) Israel’s defense minister over the weekend, which also led to more outcry from protesters in the streets. [International](https://thehill.com/policy/international/) [Administration](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/) [Defense](https://thehill.com/policy/defense/) [National Security](https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/) [See All](https://thehill.com/policy/international/) His visit comes as tensions in Israel are high amid proposed judicial reforms, which would allow the government to overrule Supreme Court decisions and give the executive more power to appoint justices. “Since that time, we have strengthened the relationship between Florida and Israel through increased investment by Israeli companies in our state, fighting the scourge of BDS, and being home to the fastest growing Jewish population in the United States,” he continued. DeSantis has traveled to Israel before, as he led a trade delegation to the country in 2019. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides and David Friedman, a former U.S.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will travel to Israel next month as the country faces unprecedented protests over proposed reforms to its judiciary, ...

In his book, “The Courage to be Free,” DeSantis writes about traveling to Israel in 2017 to scout locations for a new U.S. During the trip, the Florida Cabinet held an official state meeting despite a lawsuit from open-government advocates seeking to stop the event over the lack of public access. Controversy over the impending vote has engulfed the country in recent weeks, with threats of a general strike and mass protests filling the country’s streets. The governor is traveling to Israel as part of a larger Florida-Asian trade delegation. Opponents of the proposed changes have charged that they undermine Israel’s democracy. Israeli officials confirmed to McClatchy that they are aware of the Republican governor’s travel plans.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will deliver the keynote address at an event in Israel as he works to burnish his foreign policy credentials.

Netanyahu announced Monday that he would delay his plan “out of a desire to prevent a rift in the nation.” He met with Netanyahu in 2019 during his first trip abroad as governor, calling him "a really strong leader." The governor's trip to Israel is part a larger trade mission,

Benjamin Netanyahu may have blinked on gutting Israel's judiciary, but a fundamental schism over the country's future isn't going away.

The one-state solution favored by many Palestinians and some Israeli leftists would create a democratic state in the whole of Israel and Palestine, but it would no longer have a durable Jewish majority and would risk losing its raison d’être as a Jewish homeland. Annexing the West Bank without granting citizenship to Palestinians would, of course, create a Jewish state in all of Mandatory Palestine (minus Gaza), but that state could no longer call itself democratic, as it would have a massive population of nonvoting subjects. during the Donald Trump era: a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans coming together to defend our democratic institutions against the corrupt machinations of a far-right gangster government. The protest movement that has been building up since January is not entirely a product of the left, which in Israel has been marginalized to the point of near irrelevance. The situation now threatening to break the Israeli government is only indirectly about the peace process, but it cuts directly to the fundamental problem of Zionism. Or even if it hasn’t won the argument, it has won the electorate, which has been shaped in its favor by decades of demographic trends. Perhaps surprisingly to Americans who see Israel chiefly through the lens of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the old dividing lines between doves and hawks are not a significant factor in this crisis. Theirs is a self-consciously illiberal project very much in the spirit of the “illiberal democracy” championed by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán — the international icon of the new right. Ben-Gvir had reportedly threatened to quit the fragile right-wing coalition (which would likely lead to the collapse of the government) but agreed to the delay The bill is the price of holding on to the extreme right-wing parties who enabled him to form a coalition government after November’s elections. In this regard, right-wingers see themselves as the defenders of democracy, championing the will of the people over the unelected judiciary. For those right-wingers, the judicial overhaul is about curbing the power of an independent judiciary to apply checks and balances to majoritarian rule.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says the government's choice to delay a vote on a controversial judicial overhaul amounts to a temporary compromise.

"And there was a genuine concern, I think, in the government, that Netanyahu might lose the majority in his own parliamentary bloc." Israel has been through through five elections in the last three years, and Olmert says a reformed coalition is its best chance at avoiding another one. in every square and street," he says. There will be negotiations between the coalition and the opposition over the next month, mediated by Israel's president, Isaac Herzog. As [NPR's Daniel Estrin reports](https://www.npr.org/2023/03/28/1166422744/benjamin-netanyahu-pauses-his-plan-to-weaken-israels-court-system), Netanyahu will need to placate his hard-right coalition partners to stay in power, which offers him some legal protections while he's on trial. Only one minister, Ben-Gvir, has been convicted on such charges. [but says he's now retired from politics](https://www.npr.org/2022/04/19/1093620420/a-former-israeli-prime-minister-went-to-jail-where-he-wrote-a-memoir), is an outspoken opponent of Netanyahu. Netanyahu himself is currently on trial for three criminal cases alleging corruption — a large part of why his proposed judicial reforms are so controversial. Olmert says in order to move forward, Netanyahu "should get rid of his partners and change the political agenda in Israel and try and build up a coalition with parties that represent different values and different principles and different policies that can be accepted." I'm not joining them." An Israeli and a Palestinian weigh in on the turmoil in Israel and the West Bank Last November an Israeli court found him [guilty of defamation](https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-benjamin-netanyahu-tel-aviv-ehud-olmert-d7160c89666711562890003cd859f5cd) over remarks he had made about his successor the previous year.

The Florida Governor Will Travel to Israel as a Part of a Trade Delegation While Solidifying Himself as the Most pro-Israel Republican Aiming for the White ...

“At a time of unnecessarily strained relations between Jerusalem and Washington, Florida serves as a bridge between the American and Israeli people.” Addressing last year’s Republican Jewish Coalition confab, DeSantis cited his record fighting short-term homestay firm Airbnb after it temporarily delisted 200 properties in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, rejecting describing “Judea and Samaria as occupied territory,” instead calling the West Bank “disputed territory” while calling for public events to be held there. DeSantis, who will be traveling to Israel as a part of a larger Florida/Asian trade delegation, will deliver the keynote address before a crowd of 400 participants, including around 120 U.S. According to a press release from the sponsoring organizations, he will speak about “the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship – especially in difficult times.” Embassy locations in Jerusalem and criticizing him several months later for failing to move the U.S. This includes a January 2017 House speech calling for the U.S.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, expected to be a top contender for the 2024 U.S. Republican presidential nomination, will travel to Israel next month as the ...

In a speech to Jewish conservatives last November, he referred to Israel-held territories in the West Bank as "disputed" not "occupied" in contravention of official U.S. DeSantis has said he supported the relocation of the U.S. Jewish philanthropists, according to a release from the Jerusalem Post and the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem, which are sponsoring the event. Earlier this month, he dismissed the war in Ukraine as a “territorial dispute,” earning criticism from some fellow Republicans. Israel has been beset by unprecedented protests and worker strikes against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition to overhaul the judiciary. WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, expected to be a top contender for the 2024 U.S.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will travel to Jerusalem and speak at a museum event next month.

embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to press the Trump administration to deliver on his promise. The Jerusalem Post and Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem say DeSantis will deliver a keynote speech at an event that will address the tensions in Israel, a key U.S. The Jerusalem Post says the April 27 visit is "part of a larger Florida/Asian trade delegation."

The protests had intensified after Mr Netanyahu returned to power at the end of last year, leading the most right-wing, nationalist government in Israel's ...

His opponents - and even parts of the Israeli police - see it as a private militia. Some Israeli anti-government protesters contrasted the police's use of force against them with their lack of action against the settlers in the West Bank. He had engineered an alliance of far-right parties to get the coalition numbers for his return to power, and has become increasingly reliant on them in this crisis. For him, his words carried a clear implication - a minority among his opponents were to blame for the crisis; they were prepared to cut the baby in half. In fact, early in the protests some demonstrators attacked others holding Palestinian flags. Israel's far right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich later called for the town to be "wiped out". "Where were you in Hawara?" He has previous convictions for racist, anti-Palestinian incitement and supporting a terrorist group. They accuse him of letting the country get to boiling point first. He said he was there to act responsibly. They vowed to push on with protests. Much of the delay to Mr Netanyahu speaking on Monday happened because he was negotiating with far-right ministers in his coalition, establishing their price for agreeing to pause the reforms.

President Biden and his advisers bombarded the Israeli government with warnings that the country's image as the sole democracy in the Middle East was at ...

Biden was always clear that he was separating the issues of Israel’s defense and his disagreements with Mr. Mr. Biden was “very, very forthright with Prime Minister Netanyahu” that democracies “are strengthened by the whole idea of checks and balances, as well as the fact that any fundamental change to a democratic system really ought to be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support.” One senior official said the consensus was that it would have been deeply uncomfortable to have Mr. The first was that Mr. Gallant went public with the fact that military reservists were boycotting training missions with their units, the reaction to Mr. He insisted that stripping the Israeli Supreme Court of the power to overrule laws passed by Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset, was necessary to promote true democracy — even though he had to put that effort on hold a week ago. Netanyahu was looking for a way out of the crisis, and benefited from telling the right-wing partners in his fragile coalition that he could not risk losing the support of Israel’s most important ally. In private, administration officials said, the conversations with Mr. Nides, who has deep roots in the Democratic Party that go back to the Clinton administration, spent the weekend passing along messages from Mr. Netanyahu by phone a week ago that democratic values “have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship.” Major changes to the system, Mr. Netanyahu fired his defense minister](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/26/world/middleeast/judiciary-overhaul-benjamin-netanyahu-israel-parliament.html) because he had broken with the government on the judicial overhaul, the White House noted that President Biden had told Mr.

President Biden on Tuesday said he hopes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “walks away from” plans to pursue reforms to the country's judiciary, ...

They cannot continue down this road,” Biden told reporters after a speech in North Carolina on the economy. “I want to stress that all of that concern comes from a place of respect, and friendship and admiration for the Israeli people, and for Israel as a country and Israel’s democracy,” John Kirby, a White House spokesperson on national security issues, told reporters on Monday. “Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends,” the prime minister added. The Biden administration had for weeks expressed its concerns about Israel’s plans, with the president raising his worries in a call with Netanyahu earlier this month and a National Security Council spokesperson on Sunday saying they were “deeply concerned” about the latest developments. Biden said Netanyahu won’t be invited to visit the White House “in the near term.” President Biden on Tuesday said he hopes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “walks away from” plans to pursue reforms to the country’s judiciary, which has drawn criticism from U.S.

The Jewish state's political center shows it is capable of defeating the extremist fringe.

Netanyahu acknowledged as much when he warned last week that the refusal of reservists to serve put the state itself in “ The government and its allies have tried to dismiss the demonstrators as “leftists.” It’s a preposterous claim when critics of the judicial reforms include the right-wing former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Or for a certain former American president, who incited a mob to overturn the results of a democratic election. The Israeli Supreme Court is unusually powerful, and it is legitimate in any democracy to question and sometimes move the boundary lines among executive, legislative and judicial powers. This week, the demonstrators reminded them that raw majoritarianism puts everyone at risk. “That’s an average of roughly one war every four generations,” he said. This was as close to a revolution as the modern state of Israel has ever seen. First, Israel’s demonstrators were not against the status quo or “the system.” On the contrary, they came out to defend it. As a matter of politics, he turned what should have been an electoral mandate for stability, security and economic growth into a fiasco for his own partisans. That deserves a measure of respect. By that standard, it may be in better health than is sometimes believed. As a matter of statesmanship, he brought Israel to the brink of disaster for the apparent sake of his personal legal expediency and the ideological fixations of some of his

The Jerusalem Post and Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem say DeSantis will deliver a keynote speech at an event that will address the tensions in Israel, a key U.S. ...

The Jerusalem Post and Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem say DeSantis will deliver a keynote speech at an event that will address the tensions in Israel, a key U.S. The U.S. Netanyahu [delayed the plans](https://apnews.com/article/israel-netanyahu-politics-legal-overhaul-protests-a61c758ad1e523d38006b3e0ea972be2) earlier this week, saying he wanted to "avoid civil war," and rival political factions agreed to begin negotiations. Israeli media have reported that the U.S. The governor’s office confirmed the travel plans, noting the visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of Israel’s independence. The Jerusalem Post says the April 27 visit is “part of a larger Florida/Asian trade delegation.” DeSantis says that as a congressman in 2017, he scouted out sites to relocate the U.S.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed judicial overhaul unleashed the most intense social unrest in Israel in decades.

On Sunday, news broke that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had abruptly fired the country's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, after Gallant pleaded ...

And on the other side, you have people who normally are sharply critical of Israel finding themselves sympathetic with the hundreds of thousands of Israelis in the streets protesting Netanyahu and his government. Toy with the bot long enough, and you’ll notice that it has an awkward, self-regarding tic: “As an AI language model,” it often says, before getting to the heart of the matter. These critics and supporters of Israel are suddenly in this weird position of being on the same side. But what if I told you that ‘Passover’ might be a mistranslation from the original Hebrew, and that many classical Jewish commentators understood the holiday’s name very differently, with different moral lessons? And yet, in the midst of this, Netanyahu decided to fire the country’s top security official over a political dispute. But actually, there is broad consensus in Israel that there should be some level of reform, because many agree that the country’s Supreme Court has evolved over time to become a bit too powerful. Many people who are normally very supportive of Israel are also very supportive of these protests, because they see the attempt to completely overhaul the judiciary as attacking what they believe Israel should be. They ended up with the majority of seats in parliament due to the quirks of the Israeli electoral system, but they don’t actually represent a majority of the votes. And, most unusually, members of Israel’s elite army units began coming out and saying that the plan would undermine Israeli democracy as they see it, and that they would not serve in the Israeli army if it passed. That leads to the dramatic moment where Netanyahu finally comes down and says, I’m going to pause the process. In Israel and beyond, there’s expert and political consensus that Israel’s Supreme Court is one of the most powerful in the world, and that it ideally should be reformed to better balance power between the judiciary and elected officials. I chatted with Yair about what led to this moment, and what some coverage of the issue can miss.

Israel is in a cooling off period after weeks of intense protests. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he'll delay legislation that critics ...

"'If you want to stay in power, you have to be where the country is.'" If they don't go along, that could lead to the demise of this government and new elections — Israel's sixth in four years. While he hasn't seen it yet, SentinelOne's Weingarten predicted that the political climate will prompt some of his employees to want to leave the country. His company, which is not publicly traded, recently closed a round of funding, and the fight over the judiciary "didn't come up once." "I'm in talks constantly with investors who want to know what the risk is," said Tomer Weingarten, CEO of cyber defense company SentinelOne. Moody's made a similar statement, saying "proposed changes could materially weaken the strength of the judiciary and as such be credit negative."

Mass protest in Israel have delayed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempts to transform Israel's judiciary. But there are signs of deeper troubles for ...

Israel’s courts, which act as the only check on executive and parliamentary power and are arguably the last bastion of democratic rights for Israeli citizens, stand to lose their independence and their power to review legislation." Columnist at Haaretz. Fellow at Century International.